In the Shadows
by Thaliag.2
Summary: Pitch decides to get rid of the fifth Guardian before the young Winter spirit can even realize his destiny. Can the Guardians foil both of Pitch's plans? Disclaimer: I own nothing.


**Pity**

Brilliant, crystal blue eyes darted back in forth. They narrowed when the shadows seemed to creep closer. The boy they belonged to held a staff out in front of him defensively. The wind blew through his snow white hair, as if it were warning him to fly. The boy was Jack Frost, and the shadows surrounding him belonged to Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. But the immortal seventeen year-old didn't know that, not yet at least. A dark tendril of sand shot out and wrapped itself around the boy's ankle. He yelped and using his staff froze the tentacle of sand solid.

In hindsight he realized that his actions must have angered the shadows, or possibly their owner, because they started to creep in on him. Jack backed up, only to realize that no longer was there the brick wall of a Burgess alley, but more shadows. The wind started to blow more furiously. Silently asking for its help, Jack was lifted away from the shadows and onto a nearby roof.

The boy panted slightly, fear creeping into his soul. However, his eyes only expressed curiosity. Ever so carefully he walked over to the edge of the building to look down at the shadow filled alley. Everything seemed to be normal, until ten tendrils of black sand shot up and wrapped themselves around Jack's staff.

The immortal teen yelped and yanked back on his staff trying to get it free of the surprisingly strong grip of the shadows, the teen was being dragged even closer to the edge of the building. Confusion filled his mind at that point. The shadows had never done this to him before, they had never so much as moved when he walked through them. Now it seemed as if they were trying to kill him. None of this started until he had met with the Guardians two days ago.

His eyes went wide as everything clicked in his mind. This was the Boogeyman's doing. The teen narrowed his previously wide eyes.

"Let go, I'm not trying to bother you, I just want to be alone!"

Suddenly, just as he pulled back on his staff one more time, the shadows let go. He fell on his back onto the tarmac of the roof.

"I hardly believe you actually mean that."

Jack whipped around and was face to face with the Nightmare King himself. He held his staff out in front of him defensively. Blue crystals were narrowed in an irritated glare.

"Why did you just try to kill me, I have nothing to do with you! Just because I met with the Guardians doesn't mean you can try and strangle me with your shadow thingies."

Pitch chuckled quietly at the child's choice of words. Then he turned his full attention to the boy. Said boy backed up a few steps under the intense gaze. Silently, he called on the wind and was relieved when a small breeze blew through his hair almost reassuringly. Pitch smiled at this.

"No running away now, I still have yet to find out why the all four of the Guardians wanted to meet with you."

Jack turned around and hung his head.

"They wanted me to be a Guardian. They said something about Man in the Moon choosing me to keep you from doing, whatever you're trying to do."

The immortal teen didn't notice the way Pitch's eyes widen. Nor did he notice the dagger of nightmare sand the man formed. Jack jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the sympathetic face of Pitch.

"They just want to use you Jack. All I am trying to do is spread fear. Fear is healthy; it keeps children from venturing into bad neighborhoods, from watching bad movies. More importantly fear keeps me alive. If you try to stop me, you'll kill me. And once you're done with that the Guardians will just throw you away and ignore you for another three hundred years until they find a use for you again."

Pitch knew that Jack couldn't actually kill him, even if his plan was foiled. Fear could not be killed. It was something that was always there, lurking in the shadows. But, why did he need to have another Guardian out to foil him? He might as well get rid of Jack now. The man snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention back to the immortal teen next to him. It would be good to judge the boy's reaction to his words.

Pitch watched as Jack's eyes narrowed and his shoulders slumped, and frowned when the boy shook his head in defiance. "I don't believe you. They were so nice to me, they wouldn't do that."

Pitch frowned and pulled the dagger out again. His grip on Jack's shoulder tightened. He leaned down to whisper in Jack's ear. "Pity, I thought you of all people would know better."

The Nightmare King relished in the immortal teen's gasp as he plunged the dagger into the boy. He chuckled darkly we he saw the utter terror in the boy's eyes. Carelessly, Pitch dropped the young winter spirit to the ground. The child's staff clattered to the ground and Pitch grabbed it.

The Nightmare King snapped the piece of magical wood in half, earning a pained whimper from the fallen immortal on the ground. Pitch let the pieces of the staff clatter next to Jack.

"I am afraid that even _you_ won't heal from that, my boy. The nightmare sand that was left inside the wound will keep tearing it open, until our dear old friend will have no choice but to let you die. Where are your precious Guardians now, Jack?"

_**~In the Shadows~**_

Nicholas St. North narrowed his eyes as the atmosphere in his workshop changed. The other three guardians present noticed it too. Toothiana, known to the children as the tooth fairy, hovered in the air with a worried frown. E. Aster Bunnymund, otherwise known as the Easter Bunny, narrowed his eyes and looked around the workshop suspiciously. The Sandman, known to his friends as 'Sandy' made a question mark form over his head.

Suddenly the seemingly harmless shadows began to grow darker. Some lashed out at the elves scampering around. North, or as most people knew him, Santa pulled his swords from their sheaths and got into battle stance. Bunnymund did the same with his boomerangs. Toothiana's small group of mini fairies flocked close to her, while Sandy formed a bow and arrow with golden dreamsand.

"Oh calm down. I merely came for a visit."

All of their heads snapped towards the giant globe in the middle of the workshop. On top stood Pitch Black, the giver of nightmares and the bringer of fear. The four Guardians narrowed their eyes at the man.

"What do you want mate? Shouldn't you be under someone's bed right now?"

Pitch sent a murderous glare towards Bunny. "Go suck an egg rabbit. My days of hiding under beds are over. Soon fear will triumph and your days of glory will be gone. But that is not why I'm here. It has come to my attention that MiM has chosen a _new _guardian to foil my plans."

The Guardians glanced at each other nervously.

"Why the worried looks, it's not like I _stabbed_ him with a nightmare dagger or anything. And I certainly didn't leave the child dying on a roof top. That would just be _cruel_."

Each of the immortals looked at each other with horrified glances while the Nightmare King smirked down at them. "There's nothing you can do, even if you do manage to get to him. My nightmare sand has probably already infected him. You all are quite pathetic. Did you know that he has been all alone for 300 years? He's had some of the best nightmares during that time. The poor lad was _petrified_ whenever he woke up. Little Jack Frost, ha, for about 20 _years_ he didn't _dare_ take a rest, for fear that I would give him another nightmare."

"You monster, how dare you? When I get my hands on you I'll…"

"You'll what, Toothiana, stick a quarter under my pillow? I'm scared, I really am."

Just then a boomerang flew past the Nightmare King's head. The man's smug smirk turned into a glare and Pitch summoned his shadows to surround him.

"It seems as if I have overstayed my welcome, no matter. I will go. But you all better hurry; I don't think Manny will let Jack suffer for much longer."


End file.
